Friday, January 8, 2016

The internet in Cuba

Imagine living in a time where there is no internet.Unthinkable nowadays.But, 57 years ago it was common.

Even worse, imagine living in a time when you know there is
an internet, but you cannot access it.This
is effectively what is the case in Cuba today.

How frustrating would that be?

Almost grounds for a revolution, don’t you think?But, no.Not really.But that is the
subject of another blog.Why is there
not a revolt brewing in Cuba?

Here, let’s focus on the internet.

Only in the last five years has there been any internet
availability on the island of Cuba, a nation of 12 million inhabitants.

The internet service that is available is very, very
limited.Let me explain.

It is available in a very limited number of “hot spots”.Usually in one location in a city or
town.Such as around the central square
in Vinales, a town of 27,000 people.In the
big city of Havana, in addition it is available in several of the upscale
hotels that cater to foreign tourists.

In order to access the internet at one of these “hot spots”,
you have to purchase a card with a user number and password.The cost of the card for one hour of service
ranges from 2 pesos to 7 pesos, which is equivalent to $2 to $7 dollars in the
United States.

This may not sound like much, but it is a monstrous cost in
Cuba for local residents.When you
consider that most people are receiving a monthly salary that is the equivalent
of $20 US, then to spend 10 to 30% of that monthly salary on one hour of internet
service is not a decision that a reasonable person would make.

In addition, once you have paid the money for the one hour
of internet service, the service itself is terrible.Terrible in that it fades in and out.You lose your connection three to four times
during the hour and have to reenter your 10 digit numerical user code and then
your 10 digit numerical password to regain access.

Once you are connected, the internet is unbelievably
slow.You pull up an email, for example,
and you may have to wait two minutes to get the email.

Bottom line, the whole experience of using the internet is
so frustrating as to be a non starter.Combine
the access issues, with the service issues once you are connected, with the
relative astronomical pricing and you end up with no internet service in Cuba
de facto.

Unbelievable in this day and age.

You ask why?You ask
what can be done about it?

As to why.The answer
is simple and straight forward.The regime,
the government, the revolution, the
Communist Party does not want its citizens to have access to the internet.They control everything, and the internet is
no exception.

We can speculate as to why the government may not want internet
access available to the people of Cuba.If
the populace at large was more aware of the opportunities, the progress, the
potential that exists in every aspect of their lives from researching and being
exposed to other ideas, other people, other countries, other systems, then they
might not be as satisfied with their lives today in Cuba.

As to what can be done about it.I am not sure.I am going to research this more when I return
to the United States.What technically has
to be done to provide internet to the island country?What infrastructure needs to be in
place?

When asked why there is no more internet service available
on the island, the answer that I received more than once, from very intelligent
people was that the United States prevented it from happening. It was the United States that was the reason
for no internet.It is supposedly
somehow related to the embargo.

You may ask what the implication of not having internet is.Let me give you a real life example.We met and spent much time with a wonderful
young woman, Claudia, who is in her mid twenties.She would like to study abroad.She cannot research the options on the
internet to determine what her options might be in what subjects, in what
countries, and what the admission requirements might be.She cannot even research a dream that she
has.

Multiply this story thousands of times.And you begin to see the impact.

This entire topic is so striking because to me and, I am
surmising, other Americans traveling to Cuba, our initial feeling about not
having internet availability is relief.Relief
that we can get a break from the minute by minute checking in with the internet
to see if we received a text, or email from someone.

And then you begin to understand the impact of not having
internet and your view changes very quickly.

There are many things that I would want to do to help the
people of Cuba, but having internet service may be on the top of my list.